MCBRIDE FOR BUSINESS BLOG

Making Changes the Right Way: How to Improve Without Upsetting the Apple Cart

We talk a lot about change in this blog and change is certainly necessary for business ( http://www.mcbrideforbusiness.com/blog/dealing-with-management-changes/). If your business isn’t changing and growing, it’s probably dying. There really is no middle ground, but how do we make changes that really matter. How will you change this correctly without upsetting all our employees and customers?

It starts with the vision and a dream from the leadership of the company. Where do you want the company to be? How do you want it to look? This involves a lot of the planning elements we talk about in The 3 Laws of Empowerment (www.rshawnmcbridelive.com/3laws). If those planning elements are there, we know where we want to go to.

The next step is to work on getting there. Often that means changing and improving to get the business better. We want to do the changes in a phased rollout, if possible.

For instance, if you’re going to implement a new system in your business to track customer satisfaction at different points of your delivery process and you don’t have a system currently in place, you could build a system that would track it all the way through for all your customers. More realistically, you want to build a system that can be rolled out in phases. Start testing how customers do when they initially call your office. Then add another phase and then another phase. This allows your employees to get used to things to internalize things and to work out the kinks.

It’s a much less shock to the system, but you’re still moving on a path of change. Additionally, you’ll be getting the momentum of change as you start to make the changes. One change and another change and another change. You’ll see the progress and the improvement, and you’ll learn, and you’ll make things better and better. Change is key, and you’re going to have to do it. You just want to do it in a smart way that’s protective of you and your business. Make sure your future is going to turn out the way you hope.

What’s been your experience with change? Have you ever done a major change without doing a phased rollout? Did you have struggles because of it? Were you successful in a phased roll out? Join us in the comments below and let us know about your experiences.

This posting is intended to be a tool to familiarize readers with some of the issues discussed herein. This is not meant to be a comprehensive discussion and additional details should be discussed with your attorneys, accountants, consultants, bankers and other business planners who can provide advice for your circumstances. Each case is unique. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. This article should not be treated as legal advice to any person or entity. Freeimages.com/photographer Vasant Dave.

About the Author

R. Shawn McBride is the Chief Innovation Officer at McBride For Business, LLC. His signature keynote, The 3 Laws of Empowerment (www.rshawnmcbridelive.com/3laws), gives audiences an entertaining look at how they can prepare, plan and protect themselves. You can reach R. Shawn McBride at info@mcbrideforbusiness.com or (214) 418-0258.